Wokingham

Local Wokingham adults with learning disabilities who attend the Wokingham Resource and Opportunity Centre (WROC) have been involved every step of the way in designing and equipping their brand new centre, which is set to open its doors in spring 2007.

Consultation with Wokingham service users and their families and carers on how the proposed new community resource centre and facilities could be developed and fitted out to best meet their needs has been under way for several months now as part of an overall six year consultation programme on service modernisation.

And clients have had their say, from helping with the design to naming the building and choosing which bathroom equipment to fit. The name chosen by clients is the Acorn Community Centre. WROC members also named the centre’s coffee bar - The Rainbow Café.

The winning centre name was put forward by WROC member Derek Mackenzie who said: “I feel marvellous, really good that I did what I did, helping to name the new centre. The name came to my mind as I know Wokingham has a lot of history with oak trees.”

With planning permission given in April 2006, the brand new £1.25million centre in Woosehill is being built on Wokingham council-owned land ear-marked for community development near to Morrisons.

David Baker, whose son is a member of WROC, said: “As a parent with a son who has learning difficulties I am very excited about the move to the new centre at Woosehill. Having seen the plans, I am very confident that it will allow the more able clients to integrate more into the community whilst at the same time ensuring there is a secure environment for those who need more supervision and protection. I am sure that this will be a great improvement on the facilities at the current centre.”

Wokingham Cllr Pauline Helliar-Symons, Wokingham District Council’s executive member for community care and housing, said: "I thoroughly enjoyed being involved with people who use the centre and their parents and the staff in deciding on a name for the new building and the coffee bar inside it.

“A specialist-designed building at the heart of the local Woosehill community will help us to provide more responsive, better quality, locally-based services that give our clients greater choice and involvement in mainstream activities such as education, preparation for employment and leisure and social activities.

“Some people may be concerned that people with learning disabilities might not want to be more involved with the community but this is what they themselves have asked for; they want to integrate, and we must help them to fulfil their potential.

“Those with profound disabilities will have their own secure area - off limits to other people – as well as being able to access other areas with support from staff. I am really pleased at how the service users and their parents and carers have all been involved in designing their building. They are genuinely excited about it and their enthusiasm is infectious! And our expert staff, who know the service users they work with well, have been especially conscious of how to build in proper safety and security measures,” added Cllr Helliar-Symons.

Services are being developed in line with the national policy ‘Valuing People’, which sets out how the government will provide new opportunities for people with learning disabilities and their families to live full and independent lives as part of their local communities. The new Woosehill building will also provide specialist dedicated facilities for those people who have the most profound disabilities.

Wokingham District Council